Leicester's Richard Cockerill yet to hear if heated comments will land him in hot water

Richard Cockerill, the Leicester director of rugby, is bracing himself to see
if European Rugby Cup will initiate any disciplinary procedings following
his heated outburst on Sunday night when he criticised the referee following
Leicester’s 22-22 draw with Perpignan in the Heineken Cup.

ERC was unable to comment yesterday as nobody had seen a transcript of Cockerill’s press conference, but quotes in the media on Monday resembled, in part, Brendan Venter’s outburst following Saracens’ game against Leinster in October.

Venter, who heavily criticised the referee then and also claimed the game would “die” unless officialdom standardised its approach, received a £22,000 fine for his troubles.

Cockerill, disappointed at his side squandering valuable points at home, did not mince his words after Sunday’s game, effectively accusing referee Peter Fitzgibbon of allowing Perpignan to cheat.

“Clearly sides that cheat at the breakdown are getting away with it more and more,” Cockerill said. “Perpignan came with a plan to not let us play. Every time we got into their 22 they killed the ball or came in at the side. It was a complete mess. You try to play and you can’t play. You can’t ruck, you can’t use physical force, so how are you meant to play the game?

“We were assured that there would be zero tolerance at the breakdown. Well, there wasn’t. They gave away 10 penalties there. How many penalties do you have to give away before there’s a card? It is not the referee’s fault we drew today but clearly the lawmakers have some issues to deal with because today was a complete mess at the breakdown. It seems to be the sides that want to cheat... are getting away with it more and more.”

There will be a certain edge to the twice-postponed game between Toulouse and Glasgow on Tuesday with the French giants not impressed with the three-day delay because certain items of equipment – mainly shoe inserts and medical supplies, as well as jerseys apparently – went missing during a chaotic journey over on Friday.

Toulouse president Rene Bouscatel said yesterday he believed that Glasgow had shown a lack of professionalism by not taking essentials in their hand luggage. He also added that Toulouse, anticipating less than half their normal 12,000 crowd at Stade Ernest Wallon this evening, would be claiming €100,000 (£84,500) in lost gate receipts.

“There is a certain amateurism, not only from the Scots, but also the organisers,” Bouscatel said. “It’s more than just a game, it’s an event with an economy around it.”

Glasgow spokesman Stuart Martin explained that the missing luggage also contained “essential medical supplies”. He added: “They are elite athletes, the players use specifically designed equipment. For the shoe inserts, it takes weeks to manufacture them.”